Planet in Focus

Pay What You Can

Moderated by Adam Nayman

Planet in Focus is thrilled to honour Jennifer Baichwal as our 2012 Canadian Eco Hero. We present this award on an annual basis to an individual that has harnessed the power of media to make a difference in his/her community and the world.

Baichwal will be joined on stage by her producing partner at Mercury Films Inc., Nicholas de Pencier, and award-winning photographer, Edward Burtynsky. Moderated by film critic Adam Nayman, the discussion will focus on their creative collaboration on environmentally-themed films. Clips will be shown from Manufactured Landscapes as well as their new film currently in production, Water (to be released next year).

Jennifer Baichwal
Critically acclaimed and award-winning Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal has been weaving stories about the world around us for the past 18 years. Highlights include The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachia, Manufactured Landscapes, The Holier It Gets, Act of God and most recently, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. Baichwal’s current film in production is Water, a collaboration with Edward Burtynsky.

Edward Burtynsky
Multiple award-winning photographer and recipient of the Order of Canada, Edward Burtynsky is known as one of Canada’s most respected artists. His remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are included in the collections of over 50 major museums around the world. For Burtynsky, his early exposure to the sites and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario, led to the development of his photographic work around environmental themes of industry and nature.

Nicholas de Pencier
Nicholas de Pencier is an award-winning director, producer and director of photography. He is the president of Mercury Films Inc., the company he runs with his partner, Jennifer Baichwal, and has worked on numerous films including Act of God, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth and their latest film in production, Water.

Moderator: Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman is a Toronto-based film critic for The Grid and an associate editor of Cinema Scope. He contributes articles on film to The Globe and Mail, Cineaste, Reverse Shot and POV, and teaches a course on documentary cinema at Ryerson University. He recently profiled Jennifer Baichwal in The Walrus.

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